''Paralichthys adspersus'', the fine flounder, is a species of

large-tooth flounder Large-tooth flounders or sand flounders are a family, Paralichthyidae, of flounders. The family contains 14 genera with a total of about 110 species. They lie on the sea bed on their right side; both eyes are always on the left side of the head, ...

native to the eastern Pacific Ocean, along the

continental shelf A continental shelf is a portion of a continent that is submerged under an area of relatively shallow water, known as a shelf sea. Much of these shelves were exposed by drops in sea level during glacial periods. The shelf surrounding an island ...

from the coast of Ecuador in the north to the coast of Peru in the south. It is a medium-sized flatfish, growing up to 70 cm in length, with females typically being larger than males. It is a game fish, caught by an artisanal

fishery Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

off the Peruvian coast. The species is a predator, feeding off smaller fishes in its habitat. ''Paralichthys adspersus'' was first collected by Charles Darwin in the Galapagos Islands and was described in 1842 as ''Hippoglossus kingii'', which would have placed it in the left-eye flounder family. However, the description of ''H. kingii'' has been determined to lack sufficient information to absolutely determine which species it describes and is thus considered ambiguous and therefore is not valid.

References

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q1885417 Paralichthyidae Fish of the Pacific Ocean Western South American coastal fauna Galápagos Islands coastal fauna Fish described in 1867